Foreign travelers arrested in Japan following smash-and-grab robbery in Tokyo shopping mall

On August 21, Chilean nationals Pinya Guzman and Mansano Quesada arrived in Japan from Sydney. The following day, one of them created an account for an unmanned electric scooter rental service and rented a scooter near Tokyo’s Nakano Station on August 23. The two men then proceeded to Nakano Broadway, a shopping center famous for its diverse selection of subculture and specialty shops.

Inside a first-floor watch shop called Time Walker, Guzman and Quesada were seen browsing but did not make any purchases that day. Two days later, on August 25, Guzman returned to the store armed with a hammer, while Quesada acted as a lookout. At around 11:50 a.m., Guzman smashed a glass showcase, stole four watches worth approximately 203 million yen (US$1.28 million) and fled the scene, with one man escaping on foot and the other riding the rented scooter.

After returning to their lodgings in Tokyo’s Taito Ward, the pair quickly left the city. Two days later, they were arrested in a rented vacation property in Osaka, after police identified them through security camera footage and apprehended them. One of the stolen watches was found in their possession, and Guzman claimed to have stolen only one watch, stating he was unaware of the others.

Quesada admitted to losing the remaining three watches, explaining that they were sold to other buyers in Japan. Rearrests are a common practice in Japan, allowing the police to arrest someone multiple times for different charges without a break in between, potentially leading to months of pre-trial detention before a trial.